Best plants to start a cutting garden

Grow your dream with the best plants to start a cutting garden in this guide. A cutting garden can be grown in your own garden, on an allotment of an appropriate piece of land. Not only do cutting gardens look so pretty but they can be really satisfying and a lot of fun and ultimately they mean you get to enjoy your flowers both outside and inside your home. Try these plants to get things started:

1. Rose

Any cutting garden needs roses. Roses are the perfect cut flower for a vase or bouquet. The more, the merrier but a variety of colours and fragrances would be ideal. Roses are very easy to grow when you know which type you have and keep them in good shape with proper care. They can last many years, and cuttings are taken from them for many uses.

2. Ammi visnaga

The delicate white and green flower domes of Ammi visnaga compliment colourful flowers in a cutting garden plus they are straightforward to grow. The plants might need supports to stop them from falling all over, but otherwise, plenty of water and you will have an easy to grow addition to your bouquets and vases.

3. Dahlia

Everyone’s favourite right now, the Dahlia has made a big come back in recent years and no wonder why. With a vast number of varieties and colours, they are reliable, full of flowers and charming in a cutting garden. The question is always to leave in the ground over the winter or to lift the tubers and if you are in a mild area, leaving them in with a good mulch can work. Otherwise, all they need is storing over winter.

4. Sunflowers

No cutting garden will be without the cheerful Sunflower. Seeds can be sown under cover early Spring or direct in the ground after the frosts have passed. Needing a sunny position and water, Sunflowers look great in a bunch together and last for longer than the summer, with an attractive Autumnal look from their seed heads. 

5. Alliums

Tall stems, lilac stars making globes that attract pollinators and look stunning, Alliums are a must for a cutting garden. From darker purple to green, white and lighter lilac they can look great in a vase.

6. Zinnia

These are annuals and can be sown inside undercover or outside after the frosts have passed. Another straightforward flower to grow that looks beautiful in the cutting garden and a colourful posy. There are many different varieties and colours to choose from to brighten up any flower arrangement.

Cutting gardens take work but are a joy to create, care for and enjoy. Start your cutting garden by visiting our garden centre in either Radyr or Wenvoe, where we can help you choose the right plants to get going.